1979 GMC Heavy Half - One Owner

[jthomas151981]

Hello square folks. I am in Indiana and just inherited my grandfathers 79 GMC Heavy Half. He ordered/bought it new in Michigan. I have all the original order and delivery paperwork. It runs and drives without any known issues. I drive it a little every week.

Its a 5.7 2wd long bed and has some rust issues. Luckily I have already found a resto body shop to put all the body panels back together and get it painted this spring.

In the meantime I have ordered a 5/7 drop kit from Switch and hope to have it i stalled over christmas break. My only concern is the stock rallies rubbing after the drop. I want to keep the original wheels. Anyone know if I will have issues with geometry or rubbing steering arms etc after I get it dropped?

 

[TX87R10]

Welcome! Truck looks like it's in great shape.

No offense but your grandfather kept it stock ride height for 42 years it looks like, any reason you want lower it now?

 

[jthomas151981]

Well long term I want to make it more of a street truck. This includes better handling. Dropping will help achieve some better handling. It needed new springs, shocks, and bushings, etc all around anyway. In the rear my cousin had 1ton springs added. Not really sure why he did that (farmer reasons im sure) but now the rear bounces hard all over. So the rear springs will be softer and axle flipped with c notch. I hated to purchase stock ride hieght stuff when long term plan is to be lowered street truck.

I want to make it my own and this is a step in that direction. I love the long bed. Not sure why so many folks hate on long beds. Im having it painted back to original dark red (Carmine). And I do have a LQ4 motor available which will be transplanted as well.

 

[Corvette Ed]

Sounds like a game plan! Welcome to the forum from East Tennessee.

 

[Snoots]

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[Ken B]

welcome from indy

 

[AyWoSch Motors]

Welcome from New Mexico

 

[1973c10]

Welcome aboard

 

[WFO]

Welcome from the Texas Panhandle.

 

[RecklessWOT]

Nice truck overall! I can appreciate wanting to customize it a little to your own tastes now that it's yours but I feel like a 5/7 is a little extreme for a "street truck". If you want it to be a driver that handles good a more mild drop would actually perform better. Going too low causes all sorts of issues on its own and actually hinders drivability (tires rubbing, bottoming out on bad roads, etc), hard to drive them fast like that. And if you're not planning on going fast, they handle perfectly fine in stock form if just cruising around. Plus then you still get to make it your own without having to hack up your grandfather's truck with a C notch and whatnot. Would your grandfather be cool seeing his truck as a pavement scraper if he was still around to see it? If so then hey that's cool do whatever you want, but if not, I would think twice about molesting the thing in honor of him.

 

[Grit dog]

@jthomas151981 , Nice Truck!
And the "rust issues" look to be super minor. Man, as much as I'm not really a "patina" guy, that truck is a perfect candidate to keep original paint, at least for a while, unless you don't like patina paint jobs more than me, lol.
A half day with a polisher and that thing would be transformed.

 

[Catbox]

Welcome from Oregon.
It's yours now, do with it what you will.
G-pa will be happy to have you working on it rather than a honduh.

 

[Babs]

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[jthomas151981]

I finally had time to get my 5/7 lowering kit installed. I ordered the Squarebody Syndicate Drop Kit from Switch Suspension. They provided 3in drop spindles, 2in lowering springs, c notch and flip kit, new shocks all around, and all reqd hw. Spindles and springs were belltech and the shocks all McGaughys.

I had a small rub on my stock ralley wheels so had to add a spacer (for now). I really want to keep running these stock wheels but dont like having the small spacer. I got went ahead and updated the leaf springs to new 1/2 ton as well. The truck now looks and drives great. It now has all new springs, shocks, and leafs.

Next up are new tubular control arms with new ball joints and sway bars.

What do you all think of the lowered long bed? Im driving it regular again now. I love it. And im just getting started.

 

[idahovette]

I like the truck AND the DOG!!!!!